


Chat Noir and the Friendzone

by SenpaiCarp



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien is an oblivious mistake, Akuma attacks will happen, Angst?, F/F, F/M, Friendship/Love, Friendzone, Introspection, Luka's about the music man, M/M, Marinette needs to get her life in order, More tags later, Slow Burn, Tags Are Hard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:53:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23231266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SenpaiCarp/pseuds/SenpaiCarp
Summary: Adrien Agreste is a seemingly perfect boy with no flaws whatsoever- aside from the fact that he's a social mess. Living in a household like his with only old movies and a man who can only grunt to talk to, one can only imagine the kind of thought process he might have. Despite these setbacks, he seems to get by just fine- as Adrien at least. As Chat Noir well, maybe not so much. Shaken to the core by his Lady's harsh words on their latest Patrol, he takes some time to himself lead by the words and the music of a wise teenage boy.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Luka Couffaine, Chat Noir | Luka Couffaine
Comments: 32
Kudos: 155





	1. The Angsty Part

Two familiar silhouettes jumped from rooftop to rooftop throughout Paris, their figures illuminated by the bright cityscape. 

Chat Noir extended his pole, raising it up only to smack it down onto the ledge of a roof, launching himself into the air. He followed after the red clad heroine in front of him. He watched her closely, noticing little changes in her movements. How she jumped too soon, how she started to shoot her yoyo out into small bursts, and the way she forgot to pace herself. Chat’s eyebrows raised in confusion and surprise at his lady's odd behavior before catching up with her fully, peering at her expression. Her eyebrows were furrowed, a frown firmly planted on her face. This wasn’t exactly anything new, she always seemed so serious and focused but this was a bit different. She seemed… Frustrated, almost? No. Definitely. 

“Something bugging you M'lady? What’s got your pigtails in a twist?”  
He said with a smirk. She side eyed him and rolled her eyes, letting out a heavy sigh as she quirked her frown into a wide smile. 

“It's nothing, Chat. I’m fine. Just focusing on the patrol, that's all.” Her tone was dry, yet her expressions were animated, head turning back and forth, up and down, exaggeratedly searching for any signs of crime nearby, unluckily for her, Chat wasn't born yesterday. But for now, he'd keep quiet. He went back to his patrolling, falling behind Ladybug for a moment as his eyes darted around their surrounding area. There was nothing- as usual. Maybe Hawkmoth was asleep at this time? Who knows. Even supervillains must need to sleep, he mused to himself. With a hop and a skip, he caught up to his lady right away, shooting curious glances her way. 

The two heroes ran along the rooftops of Paris in an awkward silence, just glancing and looking away from eachother repeatedly, which the poor cat found particularly hard to handle. He’d been around silence all day, he couldn't bear to let this continue. 

“Hey, Bugaboo..." He called affectionately.  
"What’s wrong? You can always tell me y'kno- Or… not?” He saw the annoyed look on her face, his now lopsided smile becoming wider with nerves. He’s seen her in bad moods before and they never really ended well, in his humble opinion. He watched as she let out another breath. 

“I said it was nothing. Well, nothing I could tell you anyway. It would just… Make things complicated.”

“...Uhh, how?”

“Like, maybe you could find out who I am? And we really can’t have that Chat, I’ve told you a million times before-” Her words came out in a rapid succession, the irritation clear in her tone. 

“Yeah… I know. Can’t reveal our identities. But this has nothing to do with your identity M’lady! Just feelings. And you seem really down tonight. I’m worried about you.”  
He could tell she was only making excuse. He stared at her seriously, catching her eyes shifting back and forth towards him and ahead of her. She stopped, standing still on someone's roof. Chat jumped past her for a moment, only to skid to a halt and look back, catapulting himself back towards her. Her expression had softened, head down. The grip she had on her yoyo tightened. 

“Right… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be taking this out on you. Today’s just been rough is all, nothing you need to worry about, okay?”

“Okay, but… Isn't it a little too late to ask me to stop worrying now, M'lady? We're partners right? We should rely on each other a little more…"

"C'mon, I promise to listen to you seriously, cats honor."  
He showed her a wide smile, his eyes crinkling upwards. To make a big show of things, he stood up straight, placing a hand on his heart. Ladybug glanced his way, watching him for a moment before lowering her gaze once more, hiding a growing smile.

“...Fine. Remember how I told you I had a boy I liked?”

“Yeah…” His eyebrows lowered at the memory, he already wasn’t too fond of that boy. Whoever he was.

“Well, I guess I’ve just, y’know… Finally realized he might never like me back.”

“What? Why wouldn’t he? You’re amazing.”

“Apparently he doesn’t think so. Not that I think so either…”

“Well, you should.” He said defensively, the hand on his heart turned into a passionate fist in front of him. Ladybug glared at him.

“Chat.”

“Sorry, continue.”

She sucked in a breath, he could see that her cheeks were starting to turn red. Her hands fumbled with her yoyo, maybe she was having second thoughts? He knew he shouldn’t force her, but did she even have anyone else to talk to? Was it just him? Her Kwami? Parents? Friends…? He didn’t know. Because he hardly knew a thing about her. And he was starting to resent that fact.

“Right. He’s just... been getting really close with this other girl. A-and that isn’t a problem or anything! I’m not gonna ban him from talking to other girls- especially since we’re not dating yet… Did I say yet? Ugh! I'm not clingy I swear! Just!"  
She took a deep breath, covering her face with her hands before letting them fall.

"Okay… okay. It’s just that, that other girl likes him. A lot, actually. And that worries me." 

The cat nodded his head, his bell making light jingling noises as he did so. Who was this guy? Ladybug stifled a laugh, taking another deep breath and continued to speak. 

“it worries me, since… He kind of looks like he feels the same way? Oh, really… Who am I kidding, Chat? He totally does...”  
She let out a dry chuckle, her eyes becoming moist, she looked down even further. She couldn't let Chat see that. 

The man in question rested his thumb and index finger across his chin, his eyes tracing the sky, he hummed thoughtfully, as low as a purr. 

“I think you might be imagining things M’lady. Love makes you think crazy things. Just look at me. There’s no way a guy would overlook… You. You’re just so… Beautiful, amazing, strong. Words don’t even begin to describe it.”  
She glared at him, Chat’s hand fell to his side as he stared back.

"Chat. Please.” She said sternly, his ears flattened a bit. 

“Sorry bugaboo! I’m just telling the truth! You uh, looked like you needed a confidence boost?” He beamed, the leather tail behind him flickering through the air nervously. Ladybug exhaled lightly, her eyes softening, letting a lopsided smile grow on her face. 

“Oh...Well, thanks. I guess I did need that. Maybe I am just imagining things?"  
Her expression was fine, until it twisted into something complicated. Shame, frustration, relief. Whatever it was she thought of, it made her cover her now red face.  
"Ugh, I can't believe I actually believed her…" 

“Who?”

"Uh… I-it's no one… Don’t worry about it. But really, I just have no luck when it comes to love. Even though I’m supposed to be ‘lucky’ or whatever.”  
She made air quotes with her fingers, rolling her eyes. He loved when she expressed herself like this, it wasn’t often when they’d get to just talk. 

“You're the one with no luck in love?”  
He eyed her, a hint of playfulness in his tone. He made an exasperated expression, leaning on his baton. 

“Quiet, kitty. You have no clue how this feels.”  
She crossed her arms, shaking her head with her smile still in place. His own had faltered a bit, but he continued on.

“Oh, but don't I m'lady?”

She stared at him, looking at a loss for a moment before wearing a smirk.

“Oh please. You don’t actually believe you’re in love with me, do you?"  
Her tone was soft and gentle, the kind of voice Chat would fall asleep too. But it only managed to put him on edge. It felt like she was mocking him, in a way? 

“What? I do, actually." 

He paused. 

"You don't?”  
His eyebrows were completely lowered, one of his eyes crinkled up in pure dumbfoundedness. 

“Chat, you hardly know me.” 

“You hardly let me know you!” 

Her smile fell.

“It... It just can't work you know? We’re superheros. And I have someone I like."

“Yeah, and you don't know if he likes you back. And so what if we’re superheroes? That’s not a problem! We c-”

“No!”

He stood there silently, realizing his mistake

“I told you Chat! And I keep telling you, I like someone else! And really, whether I think he likes me or could like me or whatever is none of your business! I'm just not interested. Please, respect that. I don’t want this conversation to continue.”

“...Do you really think I don't love you?"  
His eyes were upturned, staring carefully at her expression, and she didn't waver. Instead she stared right back at him.

“Yes, I do. Open your eyes Chat, you clearly don’t.”

“Yes I do! Why do you keep sa-"

She cut him off.

“No, you don’t. Everytime you open your mouth it’s one flirt after another, or a stupid pun. It’s all just banter. You keep us grounded during battles. That’s what you do, it’s your thing. And I appreciate it. But right now, it’s just making me uncomfortable. With everything that's going on, it’s just…ugh. Why confuse me when you're not even serious about it?"

“I a-!”

“Chat! Stop it. This isn't a game! I'm serious!" The volume of her voice raised into a shout, she was out of breath. He shut his mouth immediately, his eyes narrowed, his breath was heavy now. This really wasn’t what he expected.  
“You don’t love me. You love the image of me. Beautiful, amazing, strong. That’s what you think I am. If you were serious about me, you wouldn’t act like this. Trust me, I’d know." Her eyes burned a hole into him, he could feel the pressure all over his body. The two of them stood there in silence. Chat backed away from her, looking down at his feet. Ladybug simply stood there, staring straight at him, her arms now at her sides. Chat gulped, thinking of the consequences of this argument if it continued any further.

“...Okay. M’l- Ladybug. I’m… Sorry, I’ll stop. You’re right, I was just messing around. Can you ever forgive me?"  
His voice was soft and quiet, a slight quiver could be heard if someone listened closely. His face showed a smile but his teeth were clenched, his hands balled into a fist close to his chest. Ladybug showed him a gentle smile, her eyebrows cresed. She walked over to him.

"It's fine, Chat. Thank you. As long as you… you… Get it now, right? Sorry for being so harsh about it." She gulped, she seemed a bit shaken up, but let out a small chuckle nonetheless. 

“...Yeah.”  
Her hand raised over his head, resting on it. She smoothed out his hair and his now flattened ears.

“Good. Thanks for talking with me. It doesn’t seem like there’s any Akumas out tonight so, I'll get going now… Goodnight Kitty..”  
Her hand slipped off his head, settling into a wave goodbye as she shot her yoyo in the opposite direction. Then she was gone. But Chat stayed there for a while more, thinking over what just happened. He shook his head, hoping that'd shake it all away, instead he forced himself to think about what he should do next...

Should he go home?

No, no way. He needed to cool off, and home wasn't going to help with that. He needed to rest somewhere away from everything else for a while... He looked at his baton and gave himself a running start, going the opposite way of Ladybug before extending the baton and catapulting himself away. 

While jumping further and further away from his original spot, his ears perked up, picking up the gentle hum of guitar strings. For a moment, he felt his heart calm down, he stood on another roof for a moment before continuing on, allowing himself to follow the somber melody that played so late at night.


	2. The Comfort Part

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luka and Chat finally meet by La Seine, with Chat's inner turmoil and Luka's empathic music- will a new friendship form?

By the calm waters of La Seine sitting by the concrete borders was a lonely, hunched over figure. 

Luka strummed at the strings of his guitar, his eyes closed as he plucked at the low notes with ease. His fingers stopped whenever he played one, allowing it to linger in the air before moving onto the next, he let out a low hum matching his guitar, gliding his fingers through the previous notes he played. It was a messy, depressing melody, but it fit with his own mood. He continued that motion, working steadily to connect the notes. The tune carried throughout the chilling breeze, he could faintly hear it's echo bouncing off the walls of nearby buildings. 

It was a quiet night tonight. 

He looked up at the moonlit sky, staring at the twinkling lights littered about, sighing in content. The low notes switched to high, as high as what he saw above, slowly drifting back down to earth again, reaching the end of his somber song. The boy let himself fall backwards onto the hard floor beneath him. He shivered as the cold concrete below settled onto his back and arms. He tried to pull down the sleeves of his hoodie but it was pretty much useless for situations like these. As he struggled with his clothes on his own, the shadow of a black cat flashed overhead.

Luka continued to lay there awkwardly, hearing the thud of someone landing on their feet, it sounded nearby. The troubled teen sprang up abruptly, but tried to play his surprise off cooly, opening his mouth to say-

“Uh, what’s up?”  
He let out a breath, adopting a sly smile and easy going expression. If one were to look closely he’d seem a bit confused with his eyebrows all quirked up like that. Chat Noir tilted his head, his leather ears perking up as he tried to listen for the music again, but it seemed to have stopped. He looked directly at Luka, noticing the guitar in his lap, a look of recognition crossed his eyes as he let out an amused ‘Ohhhhh’.

"I should've known it was you!"  
He pointed at Luka, a wide toothy grin on his face, his baton reverting into its smaller form. 

"Yeah..?"

"Yeah, you're the only one I know who plays guitar like t-"  
Chat stopped himself. He covered his mouth, resisting the urge to bang his head on the floor. The countless warnings Ladybug had given him echoed in his mind, especially the latest one. He mulled over his next words for a few seconds too long, Luka started raising an eyebrow, his smile falling. 

"I don't think we've ever really talked?" His eyebrows furrowed, he could only remember one time really, and that didn't involve music. 

"I just see you around! Everyone knows you! Hearing you play is really… Um, nice."  
There was something genuine to this statement, the cat even seemed a little embarrassed when recalling his own memories but quickly hid it, not going unnoticed by Luka. He let out a short low hum but said nothing about it. He was one of Paris' superheros after all, of course he's seen him at some point. 

"Right, so what brings one half of Paris’ beloved duo here?" Luka studied the boy, showing him a gentle smile as he did. His focus lingered on the cat’s tense shoulders and strained smile. Luka subconsciously rested his hand near his guitar strings, getting ready for something. 

"Just takin' a lil stroll after a hard day's work is all."  
Chat stretched his right arms toward the sky, his left bending behind his head, giving Luka an anxiously cheeky smile. For politeness' sake, and because he did actually find it funny, Luka let out a quiet chuckle as he set his guitar up right. 

"Is that really it? Because for some reason you feel…"  
Luka played an erratic tune, utilizing the higher notes on his guitar while looking at Chat Noir. The cat looked a bit stunned, his arms staying where they were. When he saw that Luka was staring, he quickly shifted his eyes away from him. The tune was rushed, it wasn’t amazing by any means, but that clearly wasn’t the point. He decided to finish his earlier sentence. 

"High strung."  
Chat Noir choked, his laughter was a bit too loud, even managing to echo a bit. 

"Oh wow… That was good! The buildup really sold it. Didn't know you had it in ya!"  
Luka continued to stare at him, a grin tugging at his lips, he held in his own laughter, only raising an eyebrow in response. Chat soon stopped, his arms holding his stomach before he relaxed himself, his smile seemed a lot more… Genuine now. 

“So?”

“...So?”

“Anything a superhero like yourself can tell a lowly civilian like me?”  
He scoots himself closer to the black cat, his guitar still propped up against his stomach. Just in case. 

“C’mon now, I wouldn’t call you just a Civilian. You helped us out that one time! The name Vaperion is pretty nice actually... How’d you come up with i-”  
Chat stopped himself, but Luka said nothing. After a couple long seconds of silence Chat continued. 

“Honestly thought you’d cut me off there…”  
A dry laugh. Luka raised an eyebrow at him and motioned for Chat to go on.  
“Uh. Okay, well since you’re not just a Civilian, I guess I could tell you some top secret things.”  
He gave a wry smile, a snort escaping his nostrils as he scratched at the back of his head, messing up his hair a bit. He leaned to the side a bit, humming quietly. 

“Well, tonight’s just bee-... No, today’s just been pretty rough for me.”  
His arm fell to his side flatly, his lashes lowered and his smile began to disappear, his voice and expression taking on a more dulcet tone. 

"Why's that?"  
His voice was low and gentle, Chat could pick up the raspiness of it, he found it rather pleasant, but he continued his story, snapping out of his trance quickly. 

"I’m not exactly sure about how much I can say… Wouldn’t want m’lady to get crossed with me again.”  
He shifted his gaze away, biting the inside of his cheek. 

“Again?”  
Raised eyebrows intensifies. Luka leaned onto the palm of his hand, his elbow resting on the hard surface of his guitar. 

“Yeah, again. I might have done a bit too much today…”  
He slowly exhaled, remembering the incident from just moment ago like it was today. Which it was. 

“She was already having a hard time and I made it worse.”  
Chat Noir finally sat himself down onto the concrete, his eyes watching the moon illuminate the river before him. 

“How?”  
He only provided Chat with much needed breaks between his words. Gently nudging the boy, or teen, or whatever he was along. He strummed his guitar gently, wanting to play a calming tune for him. 

“I- well, you watch the news right? Do you follow the ladyblog…?”  
For some reason he felt as if the boy didn't really keep up with anything in particular. Even when it concerned the city he lived in.

“Hmm, sometimes.”  
Bingo.

“So you know about that whole thing me and Ladybug have going on right?”

“Which is…?”

“Me showing my undying love for her.”  
Chat’s expression was deadpan, causing Luka to stop playing for a second to bust a gut, which in turn made the leather wearing hero laugh. The frosty tipped casanova cleared his throat and motioned Chat to go again as he started his melody back up. 

“Anyway, right-”  
He chuckled and cleared his throat as well. 

“Right. She was, well, having trouble with something- and, well… I thought I was being encouraging but… I wasn’t, maybe? It was uh, love troubles.”  
He told Luka what had happened, his voice growing quieter and quieter as he went on until only the guitar could be heard.

“You won't tell anyone right?”

“I won’t.”

“You promise?”

“Scout’s honor.”  
He let out a long strum, smirking at the boy across from him, who returned a smile right back. Luka felt kind of, warm and fuzzy looking at the goofy smile on his face, the cat was quite the infectious creature he’d learned. 

“Right right… So… Was I wrong? I shoulda just kept my mouth shut, right? She wouldn’t have gotten mad at me if-”  
He side, widely running his fingers through his already tousled hair. 

“If I did… What should I do? What can I do?”  
The music came to a close. Chat waited impatiently, sweat clinging to his skin. 

“Nothing.”

“I- what?”

“Nothing. You didn’t do anything wrong, but… I didn’t think Paris’ heroes were so…”

“Interesting-?”

“Awkward. I always thought you were pretty charismatic and confident. Same with Ladybug. After tonight though, I’m not so sure, not that it’s a bad thing.”  
Luka paused, watching as Chat’s ears drooped down, he smiled. 

“It makes you feel more... Human. I like that.”  
Chat looked surprised at this notion, the night was dark but the moon stayed bright. A light shade of red could be seen dusting the young man's cheeks if one squinted. 

“Human? That’s new.”  
The comment struck Luka as odd, but he continued. 

“Anyway, you don’t need to do anything. Anymore at least, you apologized to her didn’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. While I don’t think her denying your… Love, was right- the way you speak to her is odd too.”

“How?”

“It’s like you’ve never spoken to another person before, I guess. No offense.”

“You’re not wrong so, none taken.”

“What?”

“Huh?”  
They stared at eachother for a bit. Luka laughed at how nervous the cat had gotten and shook his head.

“Awkward, yet interesting. You’re a special one Chat Noir.”

“I know, they call me the cats meow.”  
He did a mock bow, it looked a bit silly with the way he was sitting. Luka held back his awkward chuckles. 

“It’s pretty late though… Don’t you have a home to go back to?”  
He squinted at his bowed figure, watching as it stiffened. 

“I almost forgot about that… I wish I forgot about that.”  
The last part was mumbled to himself causing Luka to miss it. 

“Same here, luckily my house is close by.”  
He jammed his thumb in the direction of a house boat anchored to its spot. Chat was surprised he hadn’t noticed that before, well, it put a lot of things into place for him at least.  
“If you want… We could just meet again.”  
His expression was laxed with a lopsided smile, his thumb still gesturing towards his home. 

“I’d like that… I’ll swing by tomorrow night then!”  
He beamed, his leather tail flickering playfully behind him. He stood up with a stretch, extended his baton, and winked goodbye. 

“See you soon Luka!”  
Luka in return waved goodbye to his new heroic friend, grabbing his guitar and heading back home. 

It was a pleasant night tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there! I took way too long to make a second chapter. It was a whole journey of not feeling up to it, to forgetting about it, to remember it and losing confidence- to gaining confidence and forcing myself to write! This... Will probably happen more than one, I wont lie. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I don't think I made Luka entirely accurate as to how he is in the show, but I hope you enjoyed my version of him even a little bit! Thanks for reading! Constructive Criticism appreciated :)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Chat Noir and the Friendzone! ...I feel like I need to say that the titles a work in progress- and so is literally everything else. So, if you have any constructive criticism or suggestions I welcome them with very open arms (ESPECIALLY with the formatting)! Thank you so much for reading!!!


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